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The marimba is a musical instrument in the percussion family. Keys or bars (usually made of wood) are struck with yarn mallets to produce musical tones. The keys are arranged as pianos are, with accidentals raised vertically and overlapping the 'regular' keys to aid the performer both visually and physically.
The marimba is pitched an octave lower than its cousin, the xylophone. Both xylophone and marimba bars are usually made of rosewood, but the bars of the marimba are wider and thinner than those of the xylophone. This change in shape causes the bars to respond a different set of overtones found in the overtone series which gives the instrument a richer tone. Whereas the xylophone's key widths are constant along its entire length, modern marimba keys are usually short (both lengthwise and widthwise) at the higher-pitched end and gradually expand into the bottom octaves. This ensures that larger marimbas, such as 5 octaves, have enough material to generate low notes and overtones.
Modern marimba music calls for between two and six mallets to be used simultaneously. This allows for much wider range of musical styles, especially for solo performances. When more than two mallets are needed at once, two mallets can be held in the same hand using several methods, Most notable are the Burton grip (made popular by Gary Burton), the Cross grip, the Musser grip, and the Stevens grip (made popular by Leigh Howard Stevens). Each grip has its benefits and drawbacks, but general Burton grip is used for strong aggressive playing (especially in a jazz setting) while the other three are generally used for concert marimba playing.
The key to the marimba's rich sound is its resonators. These are metal tubes below each bar, the length varying according to the pitch of the note. The bottom end of each resonator is closed, and the column of air inside resonates and amplifies the sound of the vibrating bar above. In large instruments (typically above 4 1/2 octaves) the length of tubing required for the bass notes exceeds the height of the instrument and the resonators are bent at the bottom.
Modern marimba uses include solo performances, percussion ensembles, marimba concertos, jazz ensembles, and, least often, wind ensemble or orchestra compositions.
The term marimba is also used to refer to various traditional folk instruments, the precursors of which may have developed independently in West Africa and in Pre-Columbian MesoAmerica. In the most traditional versions, various sizes of natural gourds are attached below the keys to act as resonators; in more sophisticated versions carved wooden resonators are substituted, allowing for more precise tuning of pitch. Traditional marimba bands are popular in Guatemala and parts of the highlands of southern Mexico; gyil duets are the traditional music of Dagara funerals in Ghana.
- See also: Xylophone, Glockenspiel, Vibraphone, Xylorimba
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